Fuel dispensers that are used at gas stations for filling fuel tanks of motor vehicles commonly include an underground fuel tank, a pump unit, a flow meter, a hose, and an outlet nozzle. The pump unit pumps fuel from the underground tank creating a flow of fuel through the flow meter, the hose, and the outlet nozzle. In order to accurately track an amount of fuel remaining in the tank and to accurately determine how much to charge the user for the pumped fuel, the flow meter can measure an amount of fuel pumped through the outlet nozzle during a single pumping session, e.g., during a single user's fuel pumping.
If a dispute arises over a charge for fuel pumping, the fuel dispenser is typically checked for any malfunction. However, because the processor that calculates and displays the amount of pumped fuel is located outside the fuel dispenser, checking for malfunctions usually involves inspection of two different devices: the fuel dispenser and the accessory that includes the processor. It can be difficult to ensure that the same accessory and the same fuel dispenser used in a disputed fuel situation are connected and inspected in a way that accurately reflects their setup during the disputed fuel pumping. It can therefore be difficult to resolve the fuel pumping dispute. Similarly, it can be difficult for government inspectors to accurately and consistently inspect fuel dispensers and accessories when the pumping and the processing are in two different parts, and/or it can be difficult to properly time/date/amount log and not erase or otherwise lose fuel dispension records.
One example of a flow meter includes a rotary gas meter configured to mechanically transport a certain amount of gas with each rotation of the meter's impeller. Although the certain amount of gas is considered to always be the same with each rotation of the impeller in determining how much gas is pumped, the actual amount of gas that is transported by the meter can vary due to one or more external factors such as temperature and pressure. The actual amount of gas pumped can therefore be inaccurately determined because external factor(s) are not taken into account, thereby adversely affecting one or more parties such as consumers and gas station owners.
Accordingly, there remains a need for improved methods, systems, and devices for systems, devices, and methods for measuring and processing fuel meter measurements.